Quantai Prefecture, a tale of ancient wonders, where male cultivators transform from male to female, and fifty-year-old cultivators return to their youth.
The Star Sect overnight gained a hundred disciples with Upper-Grade Single Spirit Roots.
Behind each event, there is the silhouette of a mysterious little pharmacist of unknown origin.
Yujin Prefecture.
In the Government Office Hall, Ye Zhiqiu's sword-like eyebrows were tightly knit, his chiseled profile slightly somber, as he listened to his subordinates' report to the letter, then gradually pondered.
This news spread from Quantai Prefecture, and it spread credibly, with many cultivators from there even witnessing it firsthand.
"Can Old Ghost Lin be so kind-hearted?"
Ye Zhiqiu murmured to himself.
He was also a cultivator. If there really was such a pharmacist, even enshrining him in the sect would not be unheard of, how could they let him walk away so easily?
From his own standpoint, it was unlikely.
Maybe it's just a rumor.
Perhaps the rumor is true, but there's more behind the scenes.
He wasn't very interested in the little pharmacist.
There's never such a good thing as a pie falling from the sky.
He entered the path at sixteen, became a Heaven-Breaker at eighteen, opened the Divine Spring at twenty, built the Divine Bridge at twenty-three, and now at thirty, reaching the Other Shore was achieved by steadfastly taking one step at a time.
This level of aptitude may not be much in the Northern Border, but in the Southern Border Cultivator Realm, it was already top-tier.
Now, to seek another breakthrough, he could only submit to the Imperial Court.
The relationship between cultivators and the Imperial Court has always been both ambiguous and contradictory. A cultivator like Ye Zhiqiu, who reached the Other Shore Realm, seeking to break through again, could only achieve it through a Mental Realm breakthrough.
Beyond the Other Shore, one must discover their true self. Seeing one's realm is quite profound; such cultivators either travel the mortal world seeking breakthroughs or cultivate within the Imperial Court as guardians, borrowing the Qi Fortune of the court and establishing virtue among the people in search of enlightenment.
No pill can break the barrier of the Mental Realm because the human heart is alive and inscrutable.
But for those small sects, even the slightly larger ones, the little pharmacist was in high demand.
Ye Zhiqiu frowned and instructed, "Tell those sects below to behave themselves and not stir up trouble in my territory."
His subordinates reported back, "I'm afraid it's too late; our Yujin Prefecture's sects, big and small, are all very keen on the little pharmacist's whereabouts and probably have their thoughts on it."
Ye Zhiqiu's thick eyebrows slightly cooled as he smiled, "Then inform them, this prefect has made some progress recently, don't force me to slap them when I'm in a good mood."
At the city gate, a row of armored soldiers held long spears, cornering Han Yu and the others, while two soldiers searched the carriage nearby.
The cause was Yi Xian, this foolish fellow, who got carried away and rode into the city, which is strictly forbidden between prefectures. Firstly, it's unsafe and could easily injure pedestrians, and secondly, there's fear of ill-intentioned people storming the city.
With a look of helplessness, Han Yu waited for the two soldiers to come down from the carriage, then the leader came over with a stern face and reprimanded, "Don't you know you're not allowed to ride into the city gate? Considering no casualties were caused, the carriage will be confiscated, and you will be detained for two days."
Yi Xian's face changed, and he secretly whispered, "Shall we escape?"
On hearing this, Han Yu quickly took several steps away with a look of disbelief.
Coconut also cautiously took several steps back.
Yi Xian was at a loss, but the leading soldier chuckled, "Try running and see. Without Lord Mansion Master taking action, just our Yujin Prefecture's eight hundred cavalry, let's see if you can fly longer than the horse can run, and if a capture warrant is issued, there will be plenty of cultivators eager to catch you for a reward."
Yi Xian quickly lowered his eyebrows with an awkward smile, "I was just joking, don't take it seriously."
"Now that the joke's over, just come with us obediently!"
The leader waved his hand, and a few soldiers came forward, pushing them towards the direction of the jail.
Just as Han Yu and the others were taken away, groups of three or five cultivators, dressed differently, hurried towards the city gate.
"I heard the Little Medicine God has arrived in our Yujin Prefecture."
One cultivator called out excitedly.
"I want to ask for a Divine Water to change my Spirit Root."
This was evidently a cultivator unsatisfied with his aptitude.
"I want a pill that can turn a man into a woman."
One cultivator said shyly.
The crowd was astonished, asking with a strange look, "You're quite a masculine person, why do you want such a thing?"
The cultivator lowered his head shyly, "I have a good brother whom I've admired for a long time. I want to give him one to eat."
As soon as he said this, a one-meter radius around the cultivator instantly became a vacuum zone, with those who came with him changing expressions drastically.
Each was speculating if they counted as his good brother.
If worst comes to worst, they might as well cut him down! This villain is too horrifying, keeping him around is a hidden danger.
Of course, they were destined to find nothing.
Because at that moment, Han Yu was sighing deeply, clutching the wooden bars of the prison door.
The Government Soldiers, wanting to keep things simple, locked the three of them in the same cell, and as they left, fluttered a sentence back.
"Under Lord Ye's rule, no one in Yujin Prefecture dares to cause trouble, so this prison is usually empty, which is why no prison meals are prepared. You'll just have to go hungry for two days and eat after you get out."
"A cultivator won't starve to death in two days without food."
Mumbling to himself, he walked away.
Han Yu leaned against the railing and sighed helplessly. Fortunately, it was only a two-day sentence. If it were ten days or half a month, he'd have to consider fleeing for his life.
The Glazed Bottle wouldn't reason with you, saying something like suspending medicinal spraying during imprisonment.
Yi Xian thought Han Yu was worried and came over to pat his shoulder in comfort.
"It's okay, just two days without food. Coconut and I often skip meals anyway."
Following you turned out to be this miserable?
Han Yu was amused and laughed, asking, "No matter how bad things are, it's not possible to have one meal and miss the next, right?"
Coconut, sitting beside them with a solemn face, nodded firmly, "He's not joking. Just this month, following him, we got lost in the dense forest, caught in the crossfire watching cultivators fight, mistakenly arrested as members of an Evil Sect by the Government..."
"In short, he always gets into trouble whenever he gets complacent."
Hiss!
How terrifying it is!
Despite all this misfortune, he can still laugh every day. Han Yu watched Yi Xian, who seemed completely unbothered as he sat beside Coconut, laughing and chatting, and couldn't help but admire his mindset.
Outside, the small sects searching for Han Yu were almost going crazy. The good news was someone saw him heading towards Yujin Prefecture, but the bad news was he seemed to have vanished into thin air.
As night fell over Yujin Prefecture, a large crowd was still visible on the streets, wandering in and out of major intersections, even taverns, and inns.
When the matter was reported to Ye Zhiqiu, his anger was immediately ignited, "These bastards dare to cause such a disturbance to the people based on an utterly baseless rumor, truly treating my words as empty sounds."
Then he suddenly asked, "Did that Little Medicine God really come to Yujin Prefecture?"
The subordinate reporting shook his head, saying, "Quantai indeed reported seeing him coming this way, but whether he entered the city, I don't know."
As he spoke, something seemed to occur to him, and he quickly added, "But today, the brothers at the city gate stopped a speeding carriage and caught three people. Maybe he's among them?"
Ye Zhiqiu's eyebrows moved slightly as he said in a deep voice, "Take me to see them."
Inside the prison of Yujin Prefecture, Yi Xian was vividly recounting his tales of treasure hunting that led him to a bear's cave, exploring only to be almost buried alive when a tomb collapsed, and even going out for a meal could encounter an Evil Cultivator couple creating creatures.
Han Yu clicked his tongue in amazement, this guy's life is truly colorful. To him, it seems trouble specifically seeks him out.
At that moment, there was a sound of footsteps outside. Han Yu looked up and saw several soldiers surrounding a sturdy-looking man in his thirties, in a blue brocade robe, walking towards them.
He was observing Ye Zhiqiu, and Ye Zhiqiu was sizing him up too.
"Are you a pharmacist?"
Ye Zhiqiu asked in a muffled voice.
Han Yu was momentarily stunned, not reacting immediately.
"Are you the pharmacist from the rumors, who can turn a man into a woman, capable of elevating a hundred people's aptitudes to Top-Grade Spirit Roots?"
Thinking he didn't understand, Ye Zhiqiu carefully asked again.
This time, Han Yu nodded.
"Very well!"
Ye Zhiqiu nodded too, then told the prison guard, "Open the door and throw him out of Yujin City."
Not only was Han Yu stunned, but even the soldiers beside him were also momentarily frozen.
"Didn't you hear me clearly? Throw him out of Yujin City."
Seeing no response from his subordinates, Ye Zhiqiu scolded in a deep voice.
"My lord."
The usual aide approached quietly, saying softly, "Everyone outside is looking for him. They've all regarded him as a valuable asset. If you throw him out, those small sects outside will fight over it."
Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu remained silent.
The aide continued to suggest, "Anyway, he has to be detained for two days. In that time, those searching outside might give up. By then, secretly throwing him out would be better."
This suggestion greatly pleased Ye Zhiqiu, and he happily agreed, "This plan is good. Then throw him out in two days, remember! Quietly."
With that, he left in a hurry with his men.
Leaving Han Yu and the others staring at each other in confusion. What kind of people are these? Coming in to ask a few questions and then deciding to throw a person out of the city, such authority.
Yi Xian and Coconut both looked at him with a puzzled face and waited until Han Yu turned around before Yi Xian, with a weird expression, asked, "Is your ability really that terrifying?"
Han Yu shook his head and explained, "The rumors were exaggerated."
Then he clarified the side effects of those miraculous effects, yet Yi Xian still looked at him with eyes of admiration like a fan.
"From the moment I first saw you bound up like that, I knew you weren't an ordinary person."
Han Yu rolled his eyes at him, not knowing whether this was a compliment or sarcasm.
Coconut's eyes shifted slightly as she softly mentioned, "Celestial City Peak Spirit Medicine Sect?"
Han Yu looked at her in surprise, asking in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
Seeing that Han Yu didn't seem to understand, Coconut shook her head and laughed, "It's just a place dedicated to making strange pills."
As Ye Zhiqiu and his party left the prison in Yujin Prefecture, several shadows hidden at the street corner moved slightly, soon disappearing into the night.